Taylor Woods- Artistic References
Literary Reference Early Greek Myth pp. 306 Met 4 782-83 Ovid, Metamorphoses Book 4 lines 782-83'' '' Greek Text: http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi006.perseus-lat1:4.706 English Text: http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi006.perseus-eng1:4.706 These lines describe the polished bronze shield given to Perseus by Athena so that it may help him defeat the gorgon. He used the shield to look upon the gorgon so as not to be turned into stone from direct contact. Artistic References 1) Early Greek Myth pp. 312 NY 17.190.73 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY 17.190.73, located at the Metropolitan Museum of art, is a decorative plaque. This Grecian plaque belongs to the Archaic Period and dates to the second half of the seventh century B.C. It is made of ivory and classified as miscellaneous bone. The overall dimensions if this ivory plaque are 5 3/8 x 2 3/4 x 5/8 in. (13.6 x 7 x 1.6 cm). This plaque depicts two undressing and almost naked women, who have been identified as the daughters of King Proitos of Argos that were driven mad by a very angry Dionysus. In this depiction, their patterned cloths have been unpinned and seem to be falling off to reveal their nudity. The woman who retains her head is almost completely naked with the exception of her lower legs and feet, which are still covered by her patterned dress. She is missing her left arm but her left hand can be seen resting between her breasts. It also appears that she may have at one time has a necklace due to a slight imprint and small drilled holes. She is also looking somewhere off into the distance and with her hand placement, she is most likely experiencing strong emotion. The headless woman next to her has been damaged but she appears to be simi-necked with only her chest made bare by the falling garment. This woman is also missing an arm along with her head, as previously stated. Also these two women are holding hands connecting their upper body, providing stability to the plaque. In this depiction, the daughters of Proitos, in their madness, have unpinned their cloths and stand partially naked. The only reference and confirmation of Proitos’ daughters removing their clothing comes from book three of the Various Histories of Aelianus (VH 3.24). It states that the daughter, Elege and Celane, were driven mad and made into prostitutes before running through the streets of Peloponnesus naked. This piece is not a valuable representation of the myth because one first needs to know which of the many women in Greek mythology is being depicted in this plaque. Also one need to be more than familiar with this myth to truly appreciate this work because it depict an aspect of the myth that is not commonly known. This piece is also heavily damaged with one woman missing a head. This headless woman also has a large crack down the middle of her skirt with a hole in the middle. Biograpgy: Aelianus, Various Histories Book 3 Chapter 42 Gantz, Timothy. "Chapter 10: Perseus and Bellerophontes." In Early Greek myth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1996. Ivory Decorative Plaque. Ivory Plaque. 2nd Half of the 7th Century. 5 3/8 x 2 3/4 x 5/8 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/249186 2) Early Greek Myth pp. 316 Taranto I/96 The Museo Archeologico, Taranto Located within Volume 2 of the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae Permision to publish image pending